Watts new with the Air Force fitness test
Recruits at 1 Recruit Training Unit are among the first aviators to be tested under the new Air Force Physical Fitness Test (PFT) following its implementation on November 1.
CAPTION: Corporal Matthew Johnson watches over a recruit trialing the new fitness test standard Wattbike at RAAF Base Wagga, NSW. Story by Pilot Officer Timothy Sullivan. Photo by Aircraftman Jakob Reid.
While the strength components of the PFT remain the same, members now have the option to choose either the multi-stage fitness test (MSFT) – or beep test – or the alternative aerobic assessment (A3) Wattbike test for the cardiovascular component of the PFT.
These new test options will enable aviators to display the same fitness standard as the 2.4km run but in a more controlled environment.
Human Performance and Safety at Air Command conducted a review of a number of alternative exercises using the 2.4km run standard as a baseline.
They found that the MSFT and A3 met the 2.4km run standard with the added benefits of reducing the time taken to conduct the test; limiting environmental variables; reducing the impact on joints; allowing for closer supervision and improving the response time to incidents. Being able to achieve the standards required in a safer and more efficient manner was a particular focus of the review.
Corporal Matthew Johnson, a physical training instructor at 1RTU, said there were practical benefits of the new testing methods.
“The beauty of the beep test is that it takes care of pacing element for them so they can better show what their actual running capacity is, as opposed to going too hard, too early (in the 2.4km run),” Corporal Johnson said.
“The beauty of the bike is that it’s very quantifiable, and it’s a simple thing to train for. Whether you train on a Wattbike or any other stationary bike, they will all give you a wattage metric so you can work on it anywhere; whether you’re deployed or on a trip in a hotel.”
With the first course of recruits to conduct the Initial Fitness Test since the implementation, Corporal Johnson expects similar pass rates to the 2.4km run.
During the next 12 months, there will be a moratorium on administrative action relating to MSFT/A3 failures as aviators become familiar with the new testing methods.
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